Egypt re-opens its border with Gaza

"Egypt on Saturday re-opened its border with the Gaza Strip for three days to allow Palestinians stranded on both sides to cross," witnesses and Hamas security officials said.

On Saturday, the crossing was opened from 9.30 am to 4.00 pm for patients with bookings at Egyptian hospitals. On Sunday, Palestinians, who arrived in Gaza before June and became stranded when Hamas took over the region, will be allowed to leave.

On Monday the crossing is set to be open for Palestinians wishing to travel to Gaza.

The border is being opened without the presence of the European Union monitors and the Presidential Guard forces of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas who withdrew from the area in June 2007 when Hamas seized power in the Gaza Strip.

The last opening of the border was in January when Hamas militants blew it up, allowing Gazans to cross freely into the Sinai region of Egypt.